"As anyone who has ever tinkered with an old BMW engine or looked out on to the wing of a jet can attest, pure response to engineering requirements can sometimes deliver just as much pleasure as a more intentionally aesthetic design process."

I wonder how people feel about their Iphone being build in China by child laborers.

94% of your life is "made in China" and you are b!tching about your econobox being made in Mexico.

Hey. from past experience those iPhones are quality products, on the other hand, Mexico assembled MKAY4's not so much.

"As anyone who has ever tinkered with an old BMW engine or looked out on to the wing of a jet can attest, pure response to engineering requirements can sometimes deliver just as much pleasure as a more intentionally aesthetic design process."

I find this disappointing. It may not sway my decision to get a VW by much. But I still prefer products that are manufactured where they are designed. It's nothing more than a coolness appeal. It's been kinda of a warm-fuzzy feeling for me to see "Made in Japan" when opening the door to my former Mazda, Subaru and current Nissan

I've owned Mexican and Brazilian made Golfs... but never a Golf made in Germany (though I had a German Rabbit and a German Jetta). So, what difference does it make?

I've had a few very good cars from the Puebla plant(3 Golfs) so I'm fine with the car being built there. My greatest concern is for the TDI given the torsion beam on the jetta. The future of the sportwagen in the American market is also a bit worrying given the overall direction of the company and product line up.

I've been losing lots of keys lately
I don't know what that means but maybe
I'd be better of with things that can't be locked at all

From what I've seen Mexico isn't too bad for assembeling cars. For example the Chevy avalanche which is assembled purely in mexico used to be rated higher than any other of the GM trucks as far as build quality and reliability. The fusion also assembled in Mexico is rated very high as far as build quality and reliability too. So I think VW has more problems than where their cars are assembled.

Patrikman's right brain: sweet...they could build Sciroccos here and .....like sell them here....and stuff.
Patrikman's left brain: really? you would never pay that much for a wrong wheel drive coupe even if it does look that good.

Yah, my 91 Golf was built in Mexico, and my dad's 03' Golf was built in Brazil... I don't get it.

Don't see the problem either. The Mexico plant is modern and closer to US/Canada. Building a car with lower margins at a plant in Germany seems foolish. I wonder if they mean all Golf's will be built in Mexico? Or the first time German Golf will be sources from a place other than Germany.

Article doesn't make a lot of sense.

Originally Posted by mtb_jeremy

My friend had a Mk3 Golf that was made in Mexico. STUPID PERSON THAT WROTE THE ARTICLE!!!!!

With the key in the ignition and the door open, it would play "La Cucaracha" (seriously).

Not La Cucaracha. It's just three tones over and over again. La Cucaracha is five notes, three tones.

Hey. from past experience those iPhones are quality products, on the other hand, Mexico assembled MKAY4's not so much.

The a4 cars were unreliable because of parts not designed for sufficient reliability and durability (window regulator clips, mass airflow sensors, brake lamp switches, hazard switches, coolant temperature sensors, glow plugs, coil packs, door latches, etc.), not because the parts were improperly assembled. Assembly quality for the a4 cars made in Mexico, Germany, and Brazil was excellent, but that did not prevent the poorly designed aforementioned parts from failing.

The a4 cars were unreliable because of parts not designed for sufficient reliability and durability (window regulator clips, mass airflow sensors, brake lamp switches, hazard switches, coolant temperature sensors, glow plugs, coil packs, door latches, etc.), not because the parts were improperly assembled. Assembly quality for the a4 cars made in Mexico, Germany, and Brazil was excellent, but that did not prevent the poorly designed aforementioned parts from failing.

Yup, that didn't have much to do with Volskwagen, as same parts used in BMW, Volvo, Opel and Mercedes around that time failed just as often.

“I would request that my body in death be buried not cremated, so that the energy content contained within it gets returned to the earth, so that flora and fauna can dine upon it, just as I have dined upon flora and fauna during my lifetime” - Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The a4 cars were unreliable because of parts not designed for sufficient reliability and durability (window regulator clips, mass airflow sensors, brake lamp switches, hazard switches, coolant temperature sensors, glow plugs, coil packs, door latches, etc.), not because the parts were improperly assembled. Assembly quality for the a4 cars made in Mexico, Germany, and Brazil was excellent, but that did not prevent the poorly designed aforementioned parts from failing.

Yup, that didn't have much to do with Volskwagen, as same parts used in BMW, Volvo, Opel and Mercedes around that time failed just as often.

What are you trying to say?

The unreliable parts do have plenty to do with VW, since they were designed to VW's specs (regardless of whether similar parts failed in other cars). But it was the part unreliability, not the assembly quality in Mexico, Germany, or Brazil, that caused the unreliability.

I didn't think the US consumed enough Golfs to justify local production.

No, but as was mentioned above, they then can sell the car also in Mexico and in Brazil (and in Canada, the Caribbean, and what not) - jointly a sizable market. And selling them in low-wage countries is possible because assembly cost for the MQB is down, and eventually the Beetle, Jetta, and JSW will also be fully on the MQB - one platform for one plant, with lots of parts sharing between four cars.

Originally Posted by mhjett

No, but you could make them cheaply, sell them profitably in the US, and then export the rest to the EU and make a killing.

Not going to happen if the union in Wolfsburg and Zwickau have anything to say about that. And they do.

My mk4 golf TDI was made in Mexico, and my mkv Wolfsburg Jetta was made in Mexico, and my fox was made in Brazil. No big deal really. The only VW I've owned that was made in Germany was my Corrado, and guess which one was the least reliable

I don't think the MkIV Golf was ever built in Mexico? I thought the early ones were built in Germany and the later ones were from Brazil?

I honestly don't think it matters where the car was assembled... All the problems we've ever had with our VWs (2 Mexican, 2 Pennsylvanian, 5 German and 1 Slovakian) have dealt with ****ty parts, not the assembly.